Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, recently announced that it has entered its first international market with the signing of a 25-year-long master franchising agreement for the development of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand in Canada.
According to the company, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada, a Toronto-based company under the leadership of Rob Vanden Broek and Nelson Goulart, is now responsible for franchising, marketing and operating the lifestyle real estate brand in Canada.
In addition to managing the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise system in Canada, Vanden Broek and Goulart’s existing brokerage firm has become the first Canadian brokerage to affiliate with the brand. The firm will now operate as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Signature Service. Its two offices and 90 agents in the greater Toronto area will add to the brand’s existing network of more than 7,000 agents.
“When we launched in July 2008, our first goal for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate was to create a strong U.S. network of strategic companies located in key markets, which we have achieved,” says Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “With three years of growth and best practices under our belt, it was time to turn our attention to markets outside of the United States.”
The Canadian housing market has shown strong, long-term consistency. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, year-to-date 2011 existing home sales figures continue to run in line with the 10-year average and the national months of inventory figure has been stable at approximately six months since April.
According to the company, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada will offer a full suite of technology, service, training, talent attraction and marketing tools to its prospective franchisees and agents, leveraging the best practices pioneered by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in the U.S. The company will also benefit from the unique relationship with Meredith Corporation, a leading media and marketing company serving American women and the publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Access to Meredith’s lifestyle content and marketing channels are some of the ways the new real estate franchisor’s efforts will be uniquely positioned in Canada.
For more information, visit www.BHGCanada.ca or www.BHGRealEstate.com.
